Rome pickpockets
Jul 17, 2019, 10:26 am
#121
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 19
Not to rehash a dead thread but when I went to Italy in Feb, my biggest concern was getting pick pocketed. It only took me one day to realize that as long as you are aware of your surroundings and dont have your wallet hanging out for everyone to see odds are you will be fine. In regards to Taxi's I only had one issue and that was coming back from Termini station. I had taken this ride a few times from my hotel back and forth and the last time we were catching a cab you could tell the guy at the Taxi cab stand was looking for tourist. He was redirecting people to certain cabs. When we got to the front of the line he guided us to his cab and asked where we were headed. We told him and he said that it was a flat 20 euro fee to go there(Having taken this route 3 or 4 times already we knew it was about 5-9 euros depending on traffic) I casually responded with arent you a licensed taxi and required to go by the meter. He got flustered and said yes his apologizes, he turned on the meter and off we went. At the hotel the fare came to 9 Euros. I want to thank Perche though for all the advise he shares because it really helped me feel confident with my travels to Italy, Going back next year and cant wait, this time I am taking my 10 year daughter.
Now if i could figure out how to keep those pesky people from bothering me trying to sell me there little figurines of Animals. I think I got approached about 10 times in 4 days by people trying this scam on me and telling me they needed to earn money to send home. I did meet one guy doing it though while I was smoking and we got to talking and he asked if he could have one. I gave him a cigarette and we talked about our kids shared photos and he thanked me for the smoke and gave me a ton of little nick knacks to give to my kiddo and then said for free since you were so nice to me and walked off.
Now if i could figure out how to keep those pesky people from bothering me trying to sell me there little figurines of Animals. I think I got approached about 10 times in 4 days by people trying this scam on me and telling me they needed to earn money to send home. I did meet one guy doing it though while I was smoking and we got to talking and he asked if he could have one. I gave him a cigarette and we talked about our kids shared photos and he thanked me for the smoke and gave me a ton of little nick knacks to give to my kiddo and then said for free since you were so nice to me and walked off.
Last edited by MLowe1982; Jul 17, 2019 at 11:25 am
Jul 17, 2019, 12:21 pm
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,721
We just returned from Rome, Florence and Venice and did not have any problems anywhere - no attempted theft or any problems.
However I don't entirely agree that you can simply "take easy steps to make it impossible". Certainly you can take reasonable steps to prevent it and to minimize your potential losses. But if you are visiting the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, or taking a train from Florence, or walking though St. Mark's Square during the afternoon, you cannot avoid the crowds or even people brushing up near you. Of course you can be aware of your surroundings, keep your eyes on people, keep your hands free, put your wallet in front pocket, etc. But you cannot stop a criminal from making the attempt. If your hands are free you can slap him away, yell, etc. On a recent trip somebody sliced Mrs. B's purse strap at the OAK airport (inside security). She caught the purse but did not see the culprit. You cannot prevent that but you can be aware of surroundings and protect your possessions. Yes you can try to avoid crowds and tell approaching vendors to kiss off but casual contact (e.g. on subways) is unavoidable.
The best advice is to ensure that any losses are minimized. Keep your passports, extra credit cards, ATM cards and cash in the hotel safe. Only go out with 1-2 credit cards and a reasonable amount of cash.
However I don't entirely agree that you can simply "take easy steps to make it impossible". Certainly you can take reasonable steps to prevent it and to minimize your potential losses. But if you are visiting the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, or taking a train from Florence, or walking though St. Mark's Square during the afternoon, you cannot avoid the crowds or even people brushing up near you. Of course you can be aware of your surroundings, keep your eyes on people, keep your hands free, put your wallet in front pocket, etc. But you cannot stop a criminal from making the attempt. If your hands are free you can slap him away, yell, etc. On a recent trip somebody sliced Mrs. B's purse strap at the OAK airport (inside security). She caught the purse but did not see the culprit. You cannot prevent that but you can be aware of surroundings and protect your possessions. Yes you can try to avoid crowds and tell approaching vendors to kiss off but casual contact (e.g. on subways) is unavoidable.
The best advice is to ensure that any losses are minimized. Keep your passports, extra credit cards, ATM cards and cash in the hotel safe. Only go out with 1-2 credit cards and a reasonable amount of cash.
Jul 17, 2019, 12:26 pm
#123
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 19
I personally don't like leaving my passport or extra cash behind so what I did was i got pouch that attaches to my belt and goes down the inside of my pants. I cant get it off without undoing my belt and the loop has cabling ran in it to make it slash proof. Def made me feel secure knowing I knew were all my important info was at all times. I then carried a wallet with about 50 euros in it to use as daily spend. If I ran out and needed more I just pulled more out in a private bathroom. This way if for some reason I did get pick pocked I was only out a little bit of cash and even then I never felt a real threat.
I do agree with you that there are certain places where you cant help but be bumped into. I personally wasn't worried about the Sistine Chapel but Trevi especially at night I kept a good awareness around me. I did laugh though when I watched people read the pick pocket warning sign and the first thing they did was check their wallet. I had to make a conscience effort to not do the same the first time I saw it.
I do agree with you that there are certain places where you cant help but be bumped into. I personally wasn't worried about the Sistine Chapel but Trevi especially at night I kept a good awareness around me. I did laugh though when I watched people read the pick pocket warning sign and the first thing they did was check their wallet. I had to make a conscience effort to not do the same the first time I saw it.
Jul 18, 2019, 12:46 am
#124
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
Programs: AA EXP >4 MM, Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,881
We just returned from Rome, Florence and Venice and did not have any problems anywhere - no attempted theft or any problems.
However I don't entirely agree that you can simply "take easy steps to make it impossible". Certainly you can take reasonable steps to prevent it and to minimize your potential losses. But if you are visiting the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, or taking a train from Florence, or walking though St. Mark's Square during the afternoon, you cannot avoid the crowds or even people brushing up near you. Of course you can be aware of your surroundings, keep your eyes on people, keep your hands free, put your wallet in front pocket, etc. But you cannot stop a criminal from making the attempt. If your hands are free you can slap him away, yell, etc. On a recent trip somebody sliced Mrs. B's purse strap at the OAK airport (inside security). She caught the purse but did not see the culprit. You cannot prevent that but you can be aware of surroundings and protect your possessions. Yes you can try to avoid crowds and tell approaching vendors to kiss off but casual contact (e.g. on subways) is unavoidable.
The best advice is to ensure that any losses are minimized. Keep your passports, extra credit cards, ATM cards and cash in the hotel safe. Only go out with 1-2 credit cards and a reasonable amount of cash.
However I don't entirely agree that you can simply "take easy steps to make it impossible". Certainly you can take reasonable steps to prevent it and to minimize your potential losses. But if you are visiting the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, or taking a train from Florence, or walking though St. Mark's Square during the afternoon, you cannot avoid the crowds or even people brushing up near you. Of course you can be aware of your surroundings, keep your eyes on people, keep your hands free, put your wallet in front pocket, etc. But you cannot stop a criminal from making the attempt. If your hands are free you can slap him away, yell, etc. On a recent trip somebody sliced Mrs. B's purse strap at the OAK airport (inside security). She caught the purse but did not see the culprit. You cannot prevent that but you can be aware of surroundings and protect your possessions. Yes you can try to avoid crowds and tell approaching vendors to kiss off but casual contact (e.g. on subways) is unavoidable.
The best advice is to ensure that any losses are minimized. Keep your passports, extra credit cards, ATM cards and cash in the hotel safe. Only go out with 1-2 credit cards and a reasonable amount of cash.
I personally don't like leaving my passport or extra cash behind so what I did was i got pouch that attaches to my belt and goes down the inside of my pants. I cant get it off without undoing my belt and the loop has cabling ran in it to make it slash proof. Def made me feel secure knowing I knew were all my important info was at all times. I then carried a wallet with about 50 euros in it to use as daily spend. If I ran out and needed more I just pulled more out in a private bathroom. This way if for some reason I did get pick pocked I was only out a little bit of cash and even then I never felt a real threat.
I do agree with you that there are certain places where you cant help but be bumped into. I personally wasn't worried about the Sistine Chapel but Trevi especially at night I kept a good awareness around me. I did laugh though when I watched people read the pick pocket warning sign and the first thing they did was check their wallet. I had to make a conscience effort to not do the same the first time I saw it.
I do agree with you that there are certain places where you cant help but be bumped into. I personally wasn't worried about the Sistine Chapel but Trevi especially at night I kept a good awareness around me. I did laugh though when I watched people read the pick pocket warning sign and the first thing they did was check their wallet. I had to make a conscience effort to not do the same the first time I saw it.
Jul 18, 2019, 7:17 am
#125
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 19
This is unfounded paranoia. Try not to get bumped into in a crowded city anywhere. It's going to happen in NYC, Chicago, Anchorage, kyo, Paris, everywhere. People who don't want to get pickpocketed, just won't be. If you are in a crowd and your antennae go off, just put your hand in your front pocket, where your wallet should be, and keep it there. Not surprising that someone tried to snatch the wife's purse at Oakland airport as Oakland has the highest crjme in the USA, after Cleveland, both of which have a robbery rate over ten times higher than Rome's. Nobody is going to slash your money belt so that you have to hide it in your underwear. Just don't be careless in Rome, and you won't get robbed, If you are so paranoid so and believe those myths about Rome that you hide your money and your passport in your underwear, I'm not sure why you would go. The robbery rate in Oakland is about 15 times higher than in Venice.